Monark Information

[desmond197]

I have a Monark 125 I am restoring. Any information on how many were sold in the USA. Where were they popular, West North East? I am going to make this bike a very modified MX bike. It has the GS motor but the morot is in bad shape and I think only the gears are good. I am going to put a PVL ignition on it make a replica cylinder and head and put a new Bing on it. Any other modifications I should make to it. It still has the wimpy rear shock bolts and Konis. Interested in talking with any other Monark guys out there

 

[OUCWBOY]

There is a guy out on the West coast that has a few Monarks. He reads this site often and maybe he will e-mail you. There is a guy on the VINDURO site that has a couple also.
As best that I can remember, Monarks were seen cost to cost. I tuned a bike for a Factory Monark rider in Oklahoma. Marty Smith was a Factory rider for Monark in CA before being picked up by Honda. Scott Wallenberg was from around the Chicago area and he rode for Monark. The bikes were improted into CA by a company named Inter-Trends. The dealership I worked out of was Stan's in Duncan OK. We had a GS Pro motor before they were available for sale. Marty Smith's was the fastest of the Monarks. In 74 Monark really beefed up the motor on the GS Pro and claimed 24-25 HP out of a 125, that was more than a lot of 250's back then. However, in 74 Honda came on strong with their 125 Elsinore at almost 1/2 the price of the Monark and sales dropped off and Monark stopped improting the bikes and soon after stopped production. I'm trying to remember events back almost 30 years ago sometimes the data must have been erased.
Donny

[Larry Perkins]

I still have a couple of GS heads left for the Sachs motors and a decent amount of Monark parts if you end up needing some.  If interested maybe make a wish list and get with me as I have a deal working on all the Monark parts as a whole.  Not the Sachs stuff though.

 

[desmond197]

The bike is pretty complete. Looking for maybe an air filter holder and the rubber connector to the carb and new vynil shroud. I do need a good tank and rubber side panels. Larry are you going to Mid Ohio?

 

[desmond197]

Larry do you have a phone number or email and I can contact you off the board for parts. Thanks

 

[Larry Perkins]

I have the shroud, the airfilter holder, and the the rubber connector.  Sorry no tanks or rubber sidepanels left.

I can be reached at (417)865-8884 or e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected].  I am Central time Zone and in the office most days at my janitorial company between 10AM and 2PM.  I am not going to Mid-Ohio for the first time in three years.

 

[OUCWBOY]

There is a guy who makes fiberglass stuff for the Monark. His web site is http://www.pe.net/~rpm/
I think he needs the old tank or the fixtures from the old tank to reporduce one, but you could check it out.
Donny

Edited by - oucwboy on 07/17/2002  1:18:39 PM

[imported_n/a]

Donny, during the same time that Scott Wallenberg was going fast on his Monark around here (Chicago) in '73-'74, there was also a rider named Eric Skrudland.  He and his Monarks were as fast or faster than Scottie's.  As a Monark "insider," did you ever have any information about Eric and what engine configurations he may have had?  We had some very fast Monarks and riders on them until all the riders switched to Elsinores for late '74 and '75.  
As a side note, Eric Skrudland, during the last half of the '75 season, picked up a factory Harley ride on their Ameracchi 250 with the rear forks.  The bike was pretty cool, and they experimented with rear forks and laid-down shock configurations.  I was told that Eric only had access to the bike on race days.  The factory guys would show up with the bike, he would race it, and then they'd take it back to Milwaukee.  It was pretty reliable under Eric; but I understand that Rex Staten was pretty hard on his factory Harley.  

Glenn



Edited by - Glenn Sonntag on 07/18/2002  09:02:30 AM

Edited by - Glenn Sonntag on 07/18/2002  09:03:57 AM

[penton117]

For those of you interested in Monarks, you may want to take a peak at the following website: http://www.varberg.se/~igro/index.html

It is all in swedish but there is a great photo of a bike quite similar to the one on ebay. Also other rare photos and Sachs motor blow-ups w/ part #'s etc.

 

[OUCWBOY]

Glenn,
I've heard the name come up a few times, but now, not back then. Just to let you know Scott name wasn't know to me back then either. It came up while doing research. The only names I knew of for riders other than Tommy Sims (my rider) Were Marty Smith and Danny Turner. We made a trip out to California in later 72 or early 73 (memory slipping some) to ride against all the best 125 riders in the Nation. Tommy waon the 1st moto and Marty took 2nd. Tommy was winning the 2nd Moto and broke a throtle cable giving Marty Smith the Overall win. It was great traveling across country in a Ford Econoline Van, sleeping beside the road and using a hose to take showers. It was a blast! I don't think I would ever trade those memories for anything in the world. I got out of the business in late 73.
Donny

[OUCWBOY]

Don,
Looked at the web site. Wish I could read swedish. Great looking bike (for a non Penton). Something is funny about the "Monark" on e-bay. Looks to have a Penton or DKW motor. I say this due to the fact that the pipe is very DKWish and the cut fins on the cylinder. From all the photo of the Monark enduros and what I remember, the Monark pipe rode up higher and the fins on the head were shaved for the pipe. I could be wrong and it wouldn't be the first time either.
Donny

[Larry Perkins]

No, Donny the set-up on that bike was like the Monark enduros.  I had some of those cylinders NOS until recent and they were cut on the cylinder like the steel tank Pentons and had the full radial head.  Still have about a dozen NOS full radial heads like that one and one NOS full radial GS head.

 

[OUCWBOY]

Larry,
I'm sure you are right. Bad memory bank from time to time. I just don't remember seeing one like this. Many moons have come and gone since these bikes were new. I'm thinking I'll bid on it just to have another project for the future. I'm sure I'll not hear the end of this one soon. LOL
Gotta go
Donny